Attracting manufacturing top talent in the Chicago area

Attracting top talent for the manufacturing industry can be challenging in the Chicagoland area. Unemployment in the Chicago metro was 3.6 percent in September, with many manufacturing firms reporting difficulty finding skilled workers.

Over the next decade, nearly 2 million manufacturing jobs in the U.S. will likely go unfilled due to a “skills gap,” according to a report by Deloitte and the Manufacturing Institute.

Unfortunately, the industry is suffering from a perception problem. To mitigate these issues, companies must be creative in their appeals to the next generation of manufacturing professionals. Here are some methods to help improve recruiting:

Partner with local schools:. Some companies are beginning to conduct focused outreach at local high schools, community colleges and technical schools. This can be especially important for smaller firms that may lack internal training departments. By working with in-school counselors, manufacturers can identify students with the skill set and desire to learn more about technical pursuits

Reevaluate benefits : Millennials are now the largest demographic in the U.S. workforce, according to Pew Research. Ernst & Young found the Millennial generation most likely to change jobs, give up promotions or take a pay cut to have flexibility in their work. In order to attract this talent, manufacturers should consider adjusting their paid-leave and scheduling policy. For example, some firms allow their first-shift employees to choose from start times between 6 a.m. and 8 a.m. Other companies are offering “shift-switching” options; you have the option to swap shifts with another employee. Lastly, consider implementing flexible vacation.

Update sourcing technology: Consider pairing with a partner firm that can provide modernized recruitment technology and expertise for your company. For example, many workers in the Chicago area are Hispanic or were born in Eastern Europe and speak English as a second language. Some recruitment technologies offer multilingual career sites to ensure all potential applicants understand the information about the company and its jobs. A good partner will also help you consolidate your records and process; moving application materials to an online portal will help you keep track of strong candidates, easily search for records and even open new doors to improve the company's profit by facilitating the collection of data supporting work opportunity tax credits (WOTC).

Differentiate: During recruitment, reinforce the fact that manufacturing jobs pay better than other unskilled or semiskilled labor positions and stress the opportunity for the employee to make significantly better wages as he or she becomes fully skilled. Make sure to express the potential growth opportunities and explain the career path.

Recruiting the next generation of manufacturing workers will not be an easy feat. However, with a renewed approach to HR and talent management, the industry can find its future leaders.

• Megan Collins is senior vice president and market executive, Midwest Middle Market Specialties Team at Bank of America Merrill Lynch.